A year after announcing their partnership, iconic Italian fashion house Prada and Texas-based Axiom Space unveiled a new line of designer spacesuits for NASA at the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, Italy.
The newly unveiled Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, based on NASA's groundbreaking design, will be used by the US space agency's upcoming Artemis III mission, which will be the first manned moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.
“Our elite teams have redefined spacesuit development, established new paths for innovative solutions, and implemented a modern design approach to AxEMU,” said Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space, in a statement. “The Axiom Space-Prada partnership sets a new foundational model for cross-industry collaboration, further expanding what is possible in the commercial space.”
Image: Prada/Axiom Space
According to Axiom Space, the new spacesuit includes soft and stiff joints for increased range of motion, which will allow astronauts to walk effortlessly on the moon, perform precise geological and scientific tasks, and improve mobility in space stations. Spacesuit boots are designed to withstand lunar temperatures and terrain, and the suit includes biometric controls and control interfaces.
The spacesuit released by Prada and Axiom comes two months after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiled the company's new spacesuit in August as part of the Polaris Dawn mission and spacewalk. In September, SpaceX's Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suits were used by astronauts on a spacewalk 435 miles above Earth.
Prada Group Chief Marketing Officer Lorenzo Bertelli said in a statement that Prada shared its expertise in high-performance materials, features and tailoring techniques with Axiom Space – and learned a lot in return.
“I am sure we will explore new challenges, expand our horizons and build new situations together,” he added.
In the year Founded in 2016 by Houston, Texas-based Axiom Space, it is one of a growing list of private companies — including Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX — that build spacecraft and equipment for deep space exploration and colonization.
